Power of the organ
Published: 07 September, 2009, 13:28
One of the most important music contests in Europe, the Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition, is underway in the Russian city of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea.
Musicians from Russia, France, America, Germany, South Korea and Hungary have made it to the final after winning competitive rounds in Hamburg, Worchester (Massachusetts) and Moscow.
Head of the jury this year is renowned American organist James Higdon, who praised the high quality of the contest at the opening ceremony and described it as a “music festival of organ art”.
Winners of Tariverdiev Competition will be announced on September 11.
It’s no surprise that the competition takes place in Kaliningrad, often referred to as Russia’s amber coast. Easy for European travelers, the city’s vicinity to countries with organ traditions was key to the organizers of the festival. In fact, opening up Russia for Europe and Europe for Russia is one of the objectives of the competition.
Russia’s only international organ competition was created back in 1999 by Mikael Tariverdiev’s wife Vera, in memory of the versatile composer.
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